The present application relates to an imaging apparatus.
A foldable structure having a grip portion, a camera portion, and a monitor portion has been proposed as an imaging apparatus such as a digital still camera. The grip portion assumes a form of a flat plate. The camera portion has an imaging optical system and an imaging device for capturing an image of a subject guided by the imaging optical system. The monitor portion assumes a form of a flat plate and displays the image captured by the camera portion. The grip portion and the monitor portion are rotatably connected together via a pivot. The structure can be folded by superimposing the grip portion and monitor portion and closing them.
A structure having a camera portion integrally incorporated in a grip portion has been offered as such an imaging apparatus (see, JP-A-2001-169166 (patent reference 1)).
Furthermore, another imaging apparatus having a connecting portion in the form of a flat plate and rotatably connected to a grip portion via a pivot has been offered. A monitor portion and a camera portion are mounted to the connecting portion. Thus, the monitor portion and camera portion are swung about the pivot of the connecting portion (see, JP-A-2004-304458 (patent reference 2)). In this imaging apparatus, the pivot of the connecting portion is spaced from the optical axis of the camera portion.
In the former imaging apparatus, the camera portion is integrally incorporated in the grip portion and so if the grip portion is swung according to the camera angle, the camera portion is swung (rotated) about the pivot together with the grip portion. As a result, there arises the problem that the captured image rotates about the pivot.
Accordingly, it may not be possible to vary the posture of the grip portion while maintaining the posture of the camera portion. Consequently, there is the disadvantage that limitations are imposed on the posture of the grip portion during shooting.
Furthermore, in the latter imaging apparatus, the pivot of the connecting portion is spaced from the optical axis of the camera portion. Therefore, if the grip portion is swung about the pivot of the connecting portion, the camera's shooting range is swung about the pivot of the connecting portion and deviates. Consequently, the shooting range and the picture composition would be required to be adjusted according to the deviation. This creates inconvenience in use.